


Officers and Agents

by craterdweller



Category: Criminal Minds, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Post-Season/Series 08 Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 20:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9921539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craterdweller/pseuds/craterdweller
Summary: Sam runs into JJ and her team at a trendy DC restaurant. Set post season 08 for Stargate.





	

Colonel Samantha Carter pushed open the heavy wooden door to the Capital Grille anxious to escape from the biting wind. She’d forgotten how cold Washington could be in winter. She squeezed past the crowd milling about the entrance, only to find herself four deep in line for the hostess. She briefly considered detouring to the coat room, but then thought better of it as she would lose her place in line. She wondered what on Earth possessed him to pick a popular place like this on a Friday night? She grimaced as she recalled an offhand comment she’d made during her last visit. She’d meant it only as a tease, but apparently Jack had taken her seriously when she complained they always stayed in an ordered out.

“Sam?” A female voice called out from the direction of the bar.

Sam recognized the blonde woman, dressed in a navy skirt and white blouse, from the Pentagon. “J.J.?”

“I didn’t know you were back in Washington. When did you get reassigned?”

“Actually, I’m just visiting. Are you still with the DoD?”

“Nope. I’m back at the Bureau. I’m here with my team. You should join us for a drink.”

“Well …” Sam looked at her watch. The inclement weather had delayed her flight so she was already running a little late.

“Oh. Right, you said you were visiting friends.”

“Let me get your number. I’ll just …”

Sam stepped up to the hostess desk as it was her turn in line. “Hi. I’m here to meet someone.”

“Name of the party?”

“O’Neill.”

The hostess frowned and checked the computerized seating chart. “The rest of your party hasn’t arrived yet.” She tapped a few more keys. “Looks like the previous party hasn’t left. If you want to wait in the bar, I’ll call you when another table is available.”

“Join us while you wait for your friend.”

Sam hesitated. She and J.J. had hit it off immediately, but she didn’t want to put Jack on the spot. Then again, with the place this crowded, she didn’t have many other options. “Okay. Let me just get rid of my coat.”

J.J. led her to a booth in the back corner of the bar where her team shared a pitcher of beer and an appetizer plate. “Guys, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, Colonel Sam Carter.” She introduced her team in turn, “Sam, this is Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia, Dr. Spencer Reid, and David Rossi.”

Rossi slid over to make room. “Colonel, are you stationed at the Pentagon?”

Sam shook her head. “No, I’m stationed at Nellis. I’m here visiting a friend.”

He looked pointedly at her left ring finger and noticing it bare, gave her his most charming grin. “Well your friend’s loss is our gain.”

J.J. rolled her eyes.

Derek caught the eye of a passing waiter. “May we have another glass, please?” Turning his attention to Sam he said, “Ignore him, Colonel. We usually do.”

Sam laughed. She liked this group. It reminded her of SG-1. “It’s just Sam.”

“Are you a pilot?”

Sam turned her attention to the one J.J. had introduced as Dr. Reid. He barely looked old enough to be in the bar, never mind have an advanced degree. “I am, although I don’t get to fly much these days. Are you a medical doctor?” Reid rattled off an impressive amount of credentials. In some ways, he reminded her of Daniel when they’d first met. “And what do you do, Penelope?” With her blonde hair streaked with fluorescent pink, she hardly looked like an FBI agent.

“I’m, uh, the team’s technical analyst.”

“Meaning she’s our resident computer genius,” Derek clarified.

“So, Sam if you don’t get to fly as much as you’d like, what is it you do?”

“I’m an astrophysicist. I study Deep Space Radar telemetry.”

Rossi blinked. Apparently that wasn’t the answer he was expecting.

Sam waited for Rossi to respond with a ‘that sounds interesting’ or something equally non-committal. But someone or something over her shoulder distracted him.

“Jack?”

_Did he mean her Jack?_ She studied Rossi more closely. He was about the right age to be someone Jack knew. She turned in the direction he was looking. Sure enough Jack O’Neill stood in the doorway. He was looking in their direction, but was half-turned towards the exit. _Had he been about to leave?_ “Excuse me, please.” She covered the distance between them in a few quick strides. “Jack? Were you just going to leave?” She pulled him towards the coat room.

“I, uh, saw you with your friends. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Jack.”

“Uh, the hostess said there was some sort of mix-up. It might be a while before a table becomes available.” He looked back to where the FBI team had resumed their discussion.

“Do you know David Rossi?”

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, before looking down. “Yeah. We met years ago.” He looked up. “When I was married to Sara.”

Jack didn’t mention his ex-wife very often, something Sam felt was mostly for her sake. She touched his arm. “We could go home. Order something in.”

Jack shook his head. “You looked like you were enjoying yourself. You should …”

“Jack. I’m here to see you.”

Jack fidgeted. “Sam, I’m know I’m not … I’m…”

“Hey! Jack, look at me. Please.”

He dragged his eyes up to hers.

“I was only teasing last time. You know me. When have I ever wanted to go out to a trendy place? I’d rather spend time with you.”

“But …”

“No. Now do you want to come say hello? Or do you want me to …”

That seemed to rally him. Jack O’Neill never left anyone behind. “Let’s go.”

She took his hand, ignoring his attempts to pull away, and led him back into the bar.

As they approached, David stood and greeted his friend warmly. “Jack, it’s been too long.” The men clasped hands.

To Sam’s surprise, J.J. also stood. “General O’Neill, sir.”

Jack smiled. “Ms. Jareau. How’s Henry?”

She beamed. “Growing up too fast. He still plays with the stuffed bear you gave him.” She turned to her friends. “Henry wasn’t feeling well, and Will was out of town. I was walking the halls of the Pentagon with him, trying to get him to sleep when General O’Neill happened by. He sent his aide to fetch a stuffed bear wearing an Air Force bomber jacket from his office and Henry quieted right down. It’s still one of his favorite toys.”

Sam squeezed his hand. Cassie had given that bear to Jack during one of his frequent stays in the SGC infirmary. She knew Cassie would approve of the toy’s new owner. She bit her lip when she noticed the way Rossi looked between her and Jack, hoping he wasn’t about to ask after Sara or mention Charlie.

“Jack, can you join us, or is your table ready?”

“Apparently there’s been some sort of mixup. They no longer have our table.” He looked at Sam, leaving the decision to her.

Conversation flowed as easily as the beer. Jack ordered a second pitcher of Guinness, apparently content with her decision to stay awhile longer. The women excused themselves to visit the ladies room, Penelope and J.J. swatting Derek for his comment about women always going in packs.

“How long have you and the general …”

Sam tossed her paper towel into the waste basket. She looked at J.J. in the mirror while re-applying her lip gloss. “A few months. We weren’t allowed until I transferred out of his direct chain of command.”

Penelope leaned in close to the mirror to fix her mascara. “Ooh, an interoffice romance. Those can be tricky.”

“More than tricky, in the military it can end in court-martial.”

“Yikes!”

“Is that why he seemed reluctant to join us earlier?”

She nodded. “It’s complicated. Even though we’re technically not breaking any rules, Jack worries that it would damage my career if our relationship were to become public knowledge.”

“Because people will assume you began it while you were still under his command,” J.J. guessed.

“That sucks!”

“But aren’t you worried about the same thing?”

Sam sighed. “For a long time I was. Don’t get me wrong, my career is still important to me. But not at the expense of sharing my life with him. A lesson I almost learned too late.”

“What happened?”

Sam shook her head. “It’s a long story, Penelope.”

“But you two are good now, right?”

“I hope so.” Sam looked down, worrying her bottom lip.

“Sam?”

“I’m probably being silly. But it’s all still so new.”

“Don’t tell me you’re worried he’s going to find someone else?” Penelope turned to J.J. and asked, “Did you see the way he looked at her?”

“He’s totally gone on you, Sam.”

The women returned to their table to find Rossi and Jack tag-teaming Derek. Spencer, for his part, seemed to enjoy watching his team mate on the receiving end of the teasing for once. Sam ran her hand across Jack’s back as she slid onto the bench beside him. His eyes widened at her unusual display of affection. He allowed himself to be drawn back into the conversation; stealing the occasional sidelong glance.

The group called it a night about an hour later.

“Can I give you a lift somewhere?” Rossi offered.

“Thank you, but we’re close. We can walk.”

“But its freezing out.” Rossi looked at her as if she were nuts.

Jack helped her on with her coat, wrapping his own scarf around her neck. “You sure?”

Sam nodded. “I’m sure. I could use the walk.”

J.J. pulled her into a brief hug. “Call me the next time you’re in town and have some time.”

She and Jack strolled hand in hand down Connecticut Avenue. “When did you find this place?”

Jack shrugged. “I, uh, didn’t. I asked Marcy to make a reservation. Someplace nice, but not stodgy.”

Sam laughed. “Oh Jack, you didn’t have too.”

“I’m sorry.” He tried to pull his hand away but she held tight.

She predicted this was coming. “I’m not. We’re not doing anything wrong. We deserve the chance to be happy.” A moment of panic struck. “Wait, do you …”

They paused on the steps to his brownstone. He stared at her lips and leaned down slowly, giving her the opportunity to pull away if she wanted. He brushed a gentle kiss across her lips. “No regrets.”

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts:  
> 1_million_words bingo: Trendy Restaurant  
> GenPrompt Bingo #11: The elephant in the room


End file.
